Nike and Unfair Labor Practices - 1057 Words

Nike and Unfair Labor Practices I. Introduction Nike has been accused of the unfair labor practice of sweatshop labor. A sweatshop is a place with hazardous working environments, extreme temperatures and abusive employers, hence the term sweat shop. Sweatshop workers work long days exceeding 14 hours and earn less than the living wage (Britanica, n.d.). While these conditions may be shocking to Americans and Modern Western Nations the notion of abusive working conditions is more attractive to Asians and South Americans who are faced with the stark choice of terrible working conditions or unemployment and possible death by starvation. The accusation then is that Nike is using these labor condition inequalities to take unethical†¦show more content†¦Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?† (Matthew 20:13-14) So it seems that the Gospels suggest that unequal pay is allowed by God. But the parable of the vineyard workers is not about worldly wages. Christ was talking about how God will parcel out his grace to all those who do his will. After all, his true and final wage / grace to us is eternal life and no one can have two or three eternal lives. We all get one eternal life. Don’t be confused by this seemingly clear passage that justifies unequal pay. Instead consider this; â€Å"Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages† (Jeremiah 22:13) This passage can be interpreted as an indictment of those who build their prosperity with unjust and unrighteous means such as scrimping on wages of his workers to increase his profit margins. Also â€Å"Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.† (James 5:4). We know for a fact that keeping wages low despite high profit margins is a form of wage repression. Even if the workers are content, as opposed to being jobless, to work in wage repressed jobs it is still immoral to allow them to work in such conditions and for such lowShow MoreRelatedHitting the Wall: Nike and International Labor Practices1368 Words   |  6 Pages1) Which criticisms leveled against Nike do you consider to be fair? Explain. Nike s corporate practices are good indicators that the company is only interested in exploiting low wages in third world countries. This is indicated by investing in these countries through worker training or human resource investment but has continually shifted its operation to the country with a lower wage. Nike is in control of its subcontractors Ââ€" They dictate the price of a shoe and the cost of operation toRead MoreNike And International Labor Practices1207 Words   |  5 PagesHitting the Wall: Nike and International Labor Practices Nike is one of the most popular and successful footwear brands, and there are many manufacturing factories in different countries. In this case, it talks about Nike’s international labor practice between1980s to 1990s. At the beginning of the case, it mentions Nike started to attract teenagers’ attentions in 1970s, besides that, Nike’s revenue reached the first highest peak in 1980s by increasing not only the footwear styles but also the celebrityRead MoreNike Swot Analysis1214 Words   |  5 PagesSWOT analysis: Nike Introduction Like most companies, Nike has corporate strengths and weaknesses. However, in the 50 years that Nike has been in business, it has weathered most challenges. From its maverick days as an upstart sports shoe brand being sold out of the back of the trunk of its owners’ cars at track meets, through the 80s and 90s when it lavished multi-million dollar endorsement deals on sports icons. Following is a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity and threat) analysis ofRead MoreUnethical Business Practice: Nike1499 Words   |  6 Pages The role of the government also plays a major role in these challenges that are faced by Nike. As we know that government laws and regulations differ from country to country and this makes manufacturing of products very difficult challenge for the international companies like Nike. The host governments have laws concerns against consumer protection, information and labeling, employment, wages and salaries and safety of the workers who work in those firms. The international organizations must keepRead MoreNike : Managing Ethical Organization1288 Words   |  6 PagesNike: Managing Ethical Missteps- Sweatshops to Leadership in Employment Practices Founded in 1972, Nike is one of the world’s leading distributors of sporting equipment and apparel. The company faces stiff competition from brands such as Reebok and Adidas and must keep their prices low to remain competitive. Nike’s business model involves keeping production costs low as possible by outsourcing to foreign countries and using their high profit margins to invest in research and designRead MoreEssay Nike- Ethical Issues1454 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis: Nike Introduction Nike was established in 1972 by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. These two men were visionaries. The goal for Nike was to carry on Bowerman’s legacy of innovative thinking by helping every athlete reach their goal or by creating lucrative business opportunities that would set the company apart from any competition. This included providing quality work environments for all who were employed by Nike. Read MoreThe Impact Of Nike And Globalization765 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Nike Inc is an athletic footwear company founded in the United States, they also has athletic clothing and sporting goods. Nike dominates the sporting industry along side its famous competitors; Adidas, Fila, Converse and Reebok (Locke, 2002). Regardless of its competitors and the controversies‘ that rose from their success, Nike is currently the largest and most important athletic wear company in the world. They dominate the market and have a global presence all over the world.Read MoreCase Study Of Nike, A Global Environment, Transportation And New Technologies1021 Words   |  5 Pagesthose related to sustainability. In a more global environment, companies need to develop new skills related to sustainability management. For this assignment we will analyze the case of Nike, a company whose expansion strategy made it the global poster child for corporate ethical fecklessness (Zadek, 2004). Nike was founded in 1964 by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman at a time when the sport shoes market in America was dominated by expensive products manufactured in the United States and Germany. WhileRead MoreCase Study Of Nike, A Global Environment, Transportation And New Technologies1021 Words   |  5 Pagesthose related to sustainability. In a more global environment, companies need to develop new skills related to sustainability management. For this assignment we will analyze the case of Nike, a company whose expansion strategy made it the global poster child for corporate ethical fecklessness (Zadek, 2004). Nike was founded in 1964 by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman at a time when the sport shoes market in America was dominated by expensive products manufactured in the United States and Germany. WhileRead MoreThe Nike Inc. Company945 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction The Nike Inc. company â€Å"Just Do It† logo encourages many to be motivated to push themselves to work hard and to feel good about themselves. The Nike Inc. shoe industry has marketed their sneakers through popular icons such as sport players. However, the same should be encouraged in employees who manufacture these products overseas in China, Indonesia and Korea. Nike has a responsibility to ensure that Management in the manufacturing company are held to a higher practice to avoid unsafe

Brand Report Card Home Depot vs. Lowes - 3847 Words

Jose Montero - MGT 612, Strategic Brand Management Professor Jenny Darroch, Spring 2008, Claremont Graduate University, CA Brand Report Card May 5, 2008 Copyright 2008. Jose H. Montero. All rights reserved. Brand Report Card: Home Depot vs. Lowe’s The Brand Report Card, devise d by Kevin L. Keller, is a tool for assessing a brand’s performance by rating brands along ten key traits that Keller believes are shared by the world’s strongest brands. Strong brands possess very high brand equity and the Brand Report Card is one tool to help identify things the brand is doing well and areas for improvement. When done on competitive brands, the Brand Report Card can tell us how our brand measures up to the competition. In this†¦show more content†¦Either company has never employed me and so I have no personal exposure to in-house training, documents, policies or employee culture. My assessment of the brands is purely from a shopper’s perspective. For each of Keller’s key ten brand report card characteristics I will rate each brand on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = extremely poor; 10 = extremely good). 1. Managers understand what the brand means to consumers. A. Home Depot score: 6 B. Lowe’s score: 9 While I neither personally know nor got a chance to interview any Home Depot managers at local stores or corporate headquarters, Home Depot’s eroding market share is a clear indication that management is no longer well aligned with consumer’s perceptions, expectations and beliefs about The Home Depot brand. A May 4, 2008 article in the investor website SeekingAlpha.com entitled â€Å"Home Depot Slows Down: Still Losing Customers to Lowe’s† argues that for several years The Home Depot management invested heavily in new store openings (capital spending) at the expense of employee training, store upkeep and inventory. As a shopper I have experienced this classic compromise of quality for the benefit of top-line revenue growth. I witnessed the degradation of store caliber as my local Home Depot store became progressively dirtier and moreShow MoreRelatedStrategic Management and Lowe25663 Words   |  103 PagesEnvironment Analysis ............... .............................................................................. 2 Lowe‟s SWOT Analysis.............................................................................................................. 2 Lowe‟s SWOT Matrix ................................................................................................................. 2 Home Depot‟s SWOT Matrix ................................................................................................Read MoreMarketing Plan For Target Corporate N.d1753 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"Our mission is to make Target your preferred shopping destination in all channels by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and exceptional guest experiences by consistently fulfilling our Expect More. Pay Less ® brand promise.† (Target Corporate n.d. b) Brand promise â€Å"Expect More. Pay Less ®Ã¢â‚¬  (Target Corporate n.d. a). Problem Definition In the final quarter of 2013 TGT executives were made aware of malware detected on the company’s database, calling decision makers to the table.Read MoreValue Line Publishing, October 200213010 Words   |  53 PagesValuation and Analysis of Home Depot Inc. Gracie Quintana Jeff Miller Christine Kyrish Steven Poon December 6, 2004 1 Table of Contents Financial Data Snapshot I. Overview of Valuation II. Business Summary Products and Services Competitors Industry Analysis Competitive Strategy III. Accounting Analysis Accounting Policies Degree of Accounting Flexibility Accounting Strategy Quality of Disclosure Quantitative Analysis Red Flags IV. 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Lord of the Flies Nature of Man free essay sample

Lord of the Flies: The Nature of Man William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a gritty allegory of adolescence, innocence, and the unspoken side of human nature. Countless social issues are portrayed, however one of the most reoccurring is the nature of man. Throughout the novel there is an ever-present focus on the loss of innocence amongst the boys, shown by the deterioration of social skills and their retrogression into a barbaric form of society. Also portrayed is the juxtaposition of a cruel, evil main character and a more classically good counterpart, and their eternal rivalry for power and authority over their younger subjects. Does society or the lack thereof create evil in human nature, or simply magnify a pre-existing condition? The protagonists of the novel are all boys no older than preteens, all from presumably wealthy backgrounds. When they first arrive on the island, they have a youthful innocence and naivety that wears thin as their isolation continues, turning trust into doubt and ultimately pitting them against each other. We will write a custom essay sample on Lord of the Flies Nature of Man or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As they begin to realize that there is no longer anyone enforcing the rules they lived by for so long, they begin to break what is left of society’s hold on them and search for ways to alienate themselves from conformity: â€Å"Denied the sustaining and repressing authority of parents, church, and state, they form a new culture the development of which reflects that of the genuine primitive society, evolving its gods and demons (its myths), its rituals and taboos (its social norms). (Rosenfield 1). They accomplish this through disrespecting their newly appointed authority figure, Ralph, along with other obscenities such as defecating where they please and participating in violent rituals to release built up rage. As the savagery of their once playful hunts increases, so does their disillusionment with their former ways, drawing them further from the schoolboy demeanor they once had. The prospect of killing a living creature becomes tantalizing to the boys, slowly manifesting into not only a drastic change in behavior, but also a dramatic physical change amongst the formerly refined choir boys. By covering themselves in body paint and disregarding any form of personal hygiene, these young boys begin to morph into savages. They hide behind the masks, creating new identities for themselves in an attempt to avoid the possible repercussions of their actions: â€Å"And the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness. (Golding 64). In this sense, they still posses enough integrity to understand that what they are doing is not only morally wrong but goes against the rules put in place by their newly appointed leader. However, they have been so deeply affected by their new found freedom that they disregard their morals and blindly follow urges and desires that their former society forced them to repress. At first, Jack shows hesitation in killing an animal, and despite the perfect opportunity he is unable to follow through. As time progresses, he represses those doubts and insecurities, allowing himself to become a barbaric killer, hunting for joy as opposed to purely out of need, as though embracing his true intentions: â€Å"To acknowledge the presence of this darkness in one’s own heart is a necessary but devastating condition of growing up, of becoming fully and yet flawedly human. † (Boyd 1). He then proceeds to lead a younger group of boys away from Ralph, who represents integrity and the upholding of society’s standards, and into a violent, lawless tribe. Jack, the narcissistic antagonist, represents the new found lawlessness the boys crave to embrace. In comparison, Ralph represents the familiar, comfortable, lawful society that the young boys have known their entire lives. Jack arrives on the island with obvious character flaws, which develop throughout the novel as the world around him deteriorates. They have grown up living in a similar fashion to that of Ralph’s tribe, therefore in this new found paradise the desire to rebel runs strongly enough to drive them to near utter chaos. Jack, negatively portrayed in comparison to Ralph, tempts the boys with an array of forbidden treats, indulging their most violent, suppressed desires in an attempt to lull them away from the security of Ralph. In a sense, Jack is negatively compared to Ralph throughout the novel, and is often portrayed as confused and violent, very aware of the evil inside of him: â€Å"The real problem that arises among the boys involves their own inner nature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Johnston 2). When his plan fails, Jack feels as though his seat of power is threatened and therefore resorts to terrorizing, threatening and essentially forcing the boys to join him and align themselves against Ralph, alienating them from their former, comfortable life-style and thus making what they once failed to appreciate all the more desirable. Once these boys join Jack’s tribe, they are forced to follow his orders, committing heinous atrocities against their former friends in a desperate attempt to avoid the physical punishment Jack inflicts on those who disobey him. Jack rules his subjects through fear and intimidation, and yet lures them in by playing on hidden desires unbeknownst to them. Jack is often shown acting cruel and menacing towards the other boys, however is he also shown as being self-conscious and a bit insecure: â€Å"Boys are desperate to distract from their own helplessness and do so by projecting their fear of subjection onto an even weaker other. While bullying appears as a reliable strategy of expressing ones superior masculine composure, a self-conscious admission of fear would threaten their integrity as boys. (Schoene-Harwood 3). In a way, Jack knows his subjects better than they know themselves, while at the same time he is oblivious to their distrust and false intentions. In reality, Jack has one truly loyal, model subject, who believes in similar ideals and misbehaves in similar fashions. Roger, Jack’s sadistic partner, is ultimately the one who murders Piggy, a member of Ralph’s group. Piggy symbolizes i ntelligence, something many of the younger boys lack, purely due to their age. Also, Piggy is overweight and in need of glasses, causing the fit boys to look down upon him, perceiving themselves as better purely due to their physical nature and attempting to hide their insecurities over Piggy’s superior intellectual capabilities. These differences alienate Piggy from the others, leaving him unappreciated, and although Jack is the antagonist, Ralph is able to relate to Jack more so than he is to Piggy. The murder of Piggy however, ultimately draws the line between Jack and Ralph, finally forcing them to face off in a battle to the death, initiated by Jack: â€Å"The water boiled white and pink over the rock; and when it went, sucking back again, the body of Piggy was gone. This time the silence was complete. Ralph’s lips formed a word but no sound came. † (Golding 181). After Piggy’s untimely death, Ralph finally comes to the realization of the strength of the friendship between them, and the numerous abuses Piggy suffered at his own hand. From the beginning of the novel, Roger is always testing the boundaries of society’s rules, exhibiting the classic behavior of a paranoid sadist: â€Å"Roger stooped, picked up a stone, aimed, and threw it at Henry- threw it to miss. †¦ Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. † (Golding 62). He desires to inflict pain and suffering on those around him, however he has lived in a conforming, regulated society for far too long. At first, he is apprehensive about the repercussions of his malignant actions, however as he grows closer to Jack, he gradually becomes more open, violent and obscene, ultimately resulting in the death of Piggy. Roger’s violent urges can be traced back to far before the other boys were openly abusing each other, allowing the reader to believe that he was simply born with evil intentions, which were increasingly repressed by society until they were finally allowed to break free and manifest on this biblical paradise island. The island upon which these adolescents are stranded enables them to break free of the restrictions of their former society and release their most repressed desires. In some cases, this resulted in cruel, sadistic actions and incomparable crimes of jealousy, rage and hatred. However in other cases this resulted in a desire for order, in addition to the attempted restoration of regulations that were prominent in the society that they were so familiar with.

The meaning of freedom today

Introduction In the contemporary society, people consider freedom a basic need in that person who is not free must be in a rough co-existence with him and others. It is therefore very important to exalt freedom, which begins with personal liberty to the sovereignty of nations. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The meaning of freedom today specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The extent to which a person can be free as well as the exact definition of freedom has been subjected to philosophical discourses from time immemorial with renowned philosophers such as Karl Marx, Michael Foucault and Jean Paul Sartre having differing arguments in the matter. According to the school of thought that each one of them represented, the idea of freedom to them bears differing definitions and extends. In order to come up with an agreeable and logical definition of freedom as it is in the contemporary society, people have critically an alyzed the input of these philosophers and their definition of freedom in this paper with the intention of clearly understanding what freedom is according to the schools of thought they represent today. As I reveal, the exact meaning of freedom must comprise of the different aspects such as personal liberty, the right to life, equality and independence from coercion and repressive conditions such as poverty, ignorance and diseases. Any meaning of freedom is wanting if it does not address the issue of personal liberty. Personal freedom Freedom starts with a sense of self-control or rather self-ownership. In this case, reason influences the person’s sense of freedom. In a free state, every person receives an equal chance of exercising freedom at personal level. In this case, no other person influences another’s decisions and the extent to which he/she makes decisions remains strictly limited by him/her. This is in other words to say that in a free state a personâ€℠¢s freedom is not limited as long as it does not impact negatively or limit the freedom of the other people. For instance, a person’s freedom cannot include enslaving other people. As a slave, a person is not free to make certain decisions, movements and interactions with other people in the society. In a free state therefore, a person is not entitle to take the freedom of another person for personal interests since it is against their wish to be treated so. My fellow panelist Sartre concurs with my view of freedom despite his limited definition of the freedom.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sartre’s existentialist definition of freedom According to Jean Paul Sartre, man is condemned to be free. This is without regard to whether he acts from external constraints to repress it or just follows his pragmatic decisions. A person is free when s/he refuses to act in bad fa ith and instead follow what he is. For instance, when the waiter who knows really well that he is impersonating a waiter stops that and instead does what his freedom grants, he is at that particular moment embracing freedom. By being a waiter, the person is only denying his or her own freedom. According to existentialism, one cannot claim that external forces shape his/her deeds or actions. For instance, the profession of a person cannot shape the person’s identity considering that the roles played in that profession are only as a matter of bad faith and will eventually cease. Being aware of one’s significance in the process of doing the roles in the profession inform the choices that a person makes and that seem directed to the person’s sense of freedom. However, I stand to criticize his definition based on how limited it appears. Sartre, as well as other existentialists, concentrates more on the intrinsic definition of self-freedom rather than giving a defin ition and an extent to freedom that one can put into practice in the contemporary society. He does not clarify whether a person is free or not clearly defined in that existentialists hold that in every situation a person has still the freedom of choice. Having the freedom of choice is not that important and does not qualify as being the absolute meaning of being free. This is basically for the simple reason that even a person who is enslaved by another has the freedom to choose either to rebel or to show complicity but that does not mean that they are free. In the contemporary society, a person is only free if any other person or condition can implement his /her thoughts and choices without any repression. The issue of equality of freedom constitutes the meaning of freedom.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The meaning of freedom today specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Equality and independence Equality is very e ssential in any situation for a person to be free in the contemporary society. This ranges from political, sexual, racial as well as religious equality. For people to consider another as free in a free state, he/she must go through an equal treatment with others regardless of their gender or any other affiliations. When a person is marginalized on the any of the above areas, their freedom is interfered with and eventually the person is deprived the necessity of being free. With equality comes independence in making decisions as well as living without any coercion from anyone. This implies that the different types of independence that Karl Marx and others who embrace the Marxist school of thought argued mostly about. Karl Marx on freedom Karl Marx in his Manifesto of the communist party conceptualizes freedom from an economic point of view. Marx conceptualizes freedom from an individualistic point of view whereby he argues that freedom is an individual’s collective use of re ason to create a reconciled definition of personal and public freedom. From this, Marx argues that a person who exercises freedom at the expense of the masses abuses it since the freedom of the majority is the one that matters. For instance, a person who owns means of production and abuses his employees for the sake of enriching himself and expanding his financial freedom by enriching himself is infringing the freedom of the others. It is therefore clear from his arguments that Marx’s view of freedom is more informed by the social relations of people in the society. He argues that for a state to be termed as free there has to be a revolution whereby the proletariat overpower the bourgeoisie and own the means of production. In that case, the majority would be free in that they will be in a position to cope with life without the fear of being oppressed by a powerful ruling class. However, I stand to criticize the view based on its one-sidedness.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Marx’s idea of the masses overpowering the ruling class, as a necessary precondition for their freedom, is one sided and has failed to hold on for a long time. This stands out because he fails to address other important aspects such as equality, the addressing of human rights and the dealing with other factors that lead to the oppression of people. His address however on the issue of economic oppression holds until today as evidenced by workers rising up against their oppressive employers in the contemporary society and demanding for a fair exchange for their labor. This is because a person’s freedom seems abused if he/she faces oppression in any given situation. The practice of freedom The fact that in order to be completely free one must keenly be aware of the limits of his/her freedom is a very important factor to consider when defining freedom in the society today. This is in the sense that other people’s freedom is as important as your freedom. A question arises as to whether a person has or should have the right to defend him/herself against coercion. This brings forth a quite interesting aspect of freedom regarded as the freedom of defense. In most Free states where freedom of people seems held with dignity, always a system acts to differentiate acts of coercion as either offensive or defensive. In this case, whether a person acted in an effort to defend him/herself or was interfering with another’s rights is established. Foucault’s meaning today’s of freedom is wanting based on its failure to explain how one can free him/herself. Michael Foucault on freedom According to Michael Foucault, being free is a practice of the different practices of freedom. To him it is therefore a continuous process. Foucault emphasizes more on the practices of freedom over the process of liberation. He argues that it the practices of freedom that eventually upholds freedom rather than the process of liberation. For instance, he uses the example of a colonized nation, which liberates itself from the colonizers. The society would still be in need of practices of freedom as they engage in building their own government. One can clearly notice that Foucault’s works are in a way, skeptical about the extent to which people can free themselves. If people cannot stand out of the constraints of relations of power, knowledge and subjectivity, then to him their practices of freedom are simply on a small notion of resistance from within. Conclusion In order to answer the question of what one exactly means by ‘being free’ in the contemporary society, it is of great essence to be all-round while addressing the aspects of freedom. The problem with the definitions and the answers that philosophers Karl Marx, Michael Foucault and Jean Paul Sartre presents is that they are in most cases one sided whereby they all aimed at addressing a single aspect within the complex issue of freedom. Therefore, it is ar guable that one can summon their arguments to contribute to the broad definition of today’s freedom. This essay on The meaning of freedom today was written and submitted by user Lauryn T. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.